Ongar fire destroys property and leaves family homeless

Essex Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze was "spreading rapidly"

A family has been left homeless after a fire destroyed their property.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the semi-detached house on Mayflower Way in Ongar at about 09:05 BST on Thursday.

The fire was "spreading rapidly" and crews "worked hard to prevent the fire from spreading into the adjoining property", the service said.

It said that "fortunately" the home had working smoke alarms and nobody was hurt.

The fire service said it recommended people have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of their home

Station manager, Toby Ingham, said: "I want to thank the crews for working hard in challenging conditions.

"Sadly, a family have been left homeless as a result of the fire today but, fortunately the property had working smoke alarms and we're pleased to confirm that nobody was hurt."

The service said it believed the fire was started accidentally and a full investigation was being carried out to determine the cause.